Ivanka Trump is still making good use of her late mother’s dress.
At 44, she finds herself honoring the memory of her late mother, Ivana Trump, in a deeply personal and meaningful way, revealing what she proudly inherited from her three years after her loss.
On Thursday, Feb. 5, Ivanka showed up to support her brother, Eric Trump, at his Curetivity foundation event to help benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital. She wore a dazzling white cocktail minidress from her late mom’s closet, according to Page Six.
The vintage look was crafted by Bob Mackie, who has designed looks and costumes for the likes of Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Cher, Judy Garland, and other iconic women.
Ivanka wore pointy-toed white pumps that beautifully matched the dress’s exquisite beadwork. The design showcased a chic zigzag hemline adorned with elegant fringes at the chest, shoulders, and thighs, finished with a stylish high neckline.
She gave a recap of the event in photos on her Instagram, which show Ivana posing by herself next to a statue of a bird. A second photo shows a group image of Ivana’s kids Donald Jr., Ivana, and Eric, along with Donald Jr.’s fiancée Bettina Anderson, and Eric’s wife Lara.
After sharing news that Eric had helped raise over $50 million for the hospital over the 20 years since he started his partnership with St. Jude’s, Ivanka mentioned her mother.
In the caption, she wrote, “And though our mother is no longer with us, her spirit filled the room … I felt her especially close, wearing a dress that once belonged to her. Mom would have been so proud of you baby brother! Legacy isn’t just what we build, but the love we carry forward.”
This isn’t the first occasion that she has worn the Bob Mackie outfit. Ivanka previously wore it in 2023 at a 1920s-themed party in Florida hosted by Myles Shear. The dress was previously worn by Ivana in 2002 during the 25th anniversary celebration of Studio 54 in New York City.
However, the comments under Ivanka’s post were less enthusiastic, with many referring to the story behind the passing of her mother.
One person wondered, “Did she pull it out of her shallow grave on the golf course?”
Another person made the same reference while taking a jab at the infamous Trump family, writing, ”The mom they buried on the back nine for a tax break? Trump Crime family are fucking ghouls. They have a damaged, tainted, toxic gene pool.”
A third social media user said, “Maybe she feels guilty because her dad buried her in the backyard….”
Ivanka’s father, President Donald Trump, buried her mother, Ivana, who is also his first ex-wife, back in 2022 at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. She died after sustaining injuries from a tragic fall in her Manhattan home. She was found by Eric at the bottom of the stairs.
Trump and Ivana were married from 1977 to 1990.
Ivana’s minidress fits perfectly with her daughter Ivanka’s overall style. She’s known to rock a suit look or a short dress that highlights her long legs and figure.
Back in November, she wore a black strapless cocktail dress trimmed with crystal beading to celebrate her belated birthday in New York with friends on a rooftop. In separate images from the same New York rooftop, Ivana wore another black minidress with floral shapes sewn on it and a high neckline.
Ivanka is also known for throwing on a minidress when she visits Miami or goes on international vacations with her husband, Jared Kushner, and their three kids.
Still, some of her carefully curated wardrobe choices have read as quiet homages to her late mother, who built her own image around bold, unapologetically feminine style. That tribute, however, carries an uneasy contrast: Ivana’s legacy now rests on property owned by her ex-husband after a contentious divorce and cheating. It’s a visual tension the family will never quite escape, with comments lingering over every carefully staged public appearance.
